COVID-19 Update: Greater Sudbury Placed in Lockdown Beginning March 12

As local cases continue to rise at an alarming rate, the Province has moved Greater Sudbury into the Grey – Lockdown category of the COVID-19 response framework, beginning Friday, March 12. The Province is activating an “emergency brake” in the region due to address concerning trends in public health indicators.

Greater Sudbury moved into the Red – Control category on March 8. At that time the City, in consultation with Public Health Sudbury & Districts, implemented additional closures of municipal services and facilities, over and above the provincial restrictions. Those municipal closures are in line with Grey – Lockdown measures and will remain in place until the Province moves Greater Sudbury into Orange – Restrict or a less restrictive category of the COVID-19 response framework.

Indoor Recreation Facilities
All municipal pools, arenas and fitness centres remain closed. Residents who have registered for programs or have booked ice time will be contacted directly to discuss refunds and other details.

Outdoor Recreation Facilities
Due to mild weather, the Ramsey Lake Skating Path, Queen’s Athletic Skating Oval and municipal outdoor rinks are closed for the season.

Dog parks are open. Other parks, playgrounds and open spaces are open for pass-through purposes but cannot be used for team games or sports. The Jim Gordon Boardwalk (Bell Park), Delki Dozzi track and Fielding Memorial Park walking loop are open for winter walking opportunities. Benches, waste bins, gates, handrails and other surfaces are not sanitized.

When using any outdoor facility, users must maintain a distance of two metres from people who are not part of their household. A mask or face covering is recommended when physical distancing is a challenge.

Ski Hills
Lively Ski Hill is closed for the season due to mild weather and reduced snow levels. Lively season pass holders can use their membership to receive a discount on a lift ticket at Adanac Ski Hill.

Adanac remains open with enhanced COVID-19 guidelines in place. With the onset of milder temperatures, ski hill conditions may change. Updates on conditions will be posted to the City’s website and social media channels.

• Patrons and staff must wear masks in all indoor spaces and face coverings while waiting in lift lines and when on the ski lifts.
• Patrons must maintain a distance of three metres from others while on the hill and waiting in lift lines.
• Only members of the same household may ride the chair lift together. Lift attendants will not allow or ask patrons to ride a chairlift with individuals they do not know
• The chalet remains available for washroom use only. No food or beverages are permitted in the chalet.

Patrons are reminded to book tickets before arriving at the hill, as day tickets are not available onsite. Those with memberships or punch cards are also required to book ahead. Booking can be done online at www.greatersudbury.ca/leisure. Anyone who experiences technical difficulties when booking can call the ski hill directly at 705-688-3969. Phone-in customers should anticipate longer wait times for assistance due to high call volumes.

For more information and ski hill conditions, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/play/ski-hills.

Libraries and Citizen Service Centres
All Libraries and Citizen Service Centres will remain open for contactless curbside pickup. All returned materials will be disinfected or quarantined for an appropriate period of time before being recirculated. Library programs continue to be offered online.

Residents who require Citizen Service Centre services can contact the facility directly to discuss options, as many services are available online or via telephone. Residents should avoid all non-essential visits to Libraries and Citizen Service Centres.

For more information, including branch-specific hours of operation, programming and to book materials for pickup, visit www.sudburylibraries.ca/covid-19-update.

Schools and Child Care
All schools in Greater Sudbury will transition to virtual learning, effective Monday, March 15. This change will be in place until further notice from Public Health Sudbury & Districts. The crossing guard program is suspended until schools re-open.

Child care centres remain open. We are awaiting further details on offering emergency school-based child care.

Tom Davies Square
Services at Tom Davies Square are available by appointment only. Residents should contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) to make an appointment or discuss alternate service. Please avoid all non-essential visits to the facility. Many services are available by telephone or online at www.greatersudbury.ca/eservices.

The Homelessness Network Day Centre, located at 199 Larch St., is unaffected by these service changes.

Garbage and Recycling
The household hazardous waste drop-off day scheduled for Saturday, March 13 has been cancelled. The Toxic Taxi will continue to operate for home collection of residential household hazardous waste. To make an appointment for home collection, residents can email toxictaxi@greatersudbury.ca or call 705-560-9019.

The service counter at the Recycling Centre remains closed and sale of Big Blues, kitchen collectors and backyard composters is temporarily suspended. For information on ordering blue boxes, green carts or bag tags, use the Waste Wise app, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/wastewise or contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca)

Landfill sites remain open with limited capacity. Reuse centres at landfill sites are closed. Residents should be prepared for longer than usual wait times. The City has set up a live camera at the Sudbury landfill site so that residents can see how busy it is before they make the trip. The live feed is available at www.greatersudbury.ca/landfill-livestream.

GOVA Transit
The GOVA downtown Transit Hub waiting area is open to the public with a maximum capacity of 25 people. Riders are reminded to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask and maintaining a safe distance. GOVA Transit monitors and manages passenger capacity on its routes on a daily basis to deploy extra buses when necessary to support physical distancing.

Cemetery Services
City cemeteries remain open for visitation. Visitors must maintain a distance of two metres from others and limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people. Indoor gatherings at the mausoleum are limited to members of the same household. The mausoleum is open to the public daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. No appointment is required.

Effective Monday, March 15, funerals and interment services will allow for up to 25 people indoors at the Civic Memorial Mausoleum or up to 50 people outdoors, with a Funeral Director in charge. Physical distancing must be maintained. Masks are required for all guests and staff.

Plot purchases and arrangements for interments are available by contacting 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) or emailing cemeteries@greatersudbury.ca to schedule a telephone or video conference.

Reminders
• Indoor organized events and social gatherings are not permitted, except with members of the same household. Families should not visit any other household or allow visitors in their homes. Those who live alone can have close contact with only one other household.
• Outdoor organized events and social gatherings are limited to 10 people and physical distancing must be maintained.
• Trips outside of the home should only be for essential reasons (work, groceries/pharmacy, health care, assisting vulnerable individuals or exercise and physical activity).
• Residents must wear a mask or face covering inside businesses or organizations. A mask or face covering is also recommended outdoors when physical distancing is a challenge.
• Travel outside the Greater Sudbury area should be for essential purposes only. Anyone travelling outside of Ontario should self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.
• Continue to follow basic but important measures to prevent the spread of illness. Wash your hands often, wear a mask or face covering, cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve and stay home if you feel sick.
• The Province has a number of rules in place for other facilities and services, including retail, dining, sports and fitness facilities, and personal care services. Visit www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#grey for more information.

Important Information about 311
In order to allow Public Health Sudbury & Districts to focus their efforts on COVID-19 contact-tracing, health-related inquiries and vaccine planning and implementation, residents are encouraged to contact 311 by phone or Live Web Chat (311.greatersudbury.ca) for:
• People not self-isolating after international travel.
• Organized events and social gatherings that exceed what’s permitted by the Province.
• Questions about provincial rules and regulations or effects on City programs and services.
• Complaints about non-compliance of businesses or services, as mandated under the Grey – Lockdown category.

The enforcement of COVID-19 legislation is a joint initiative by City By-law Officers, Public Health Sudbury & Districts and the Greater Sudbury Police Service. 311 representatives will log your complaint, and direct it to the appropriate party based on time of day, and severity and type of issue.

For COVID-19 updates and information related to City services, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/covid or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

For the most up-to-date local information on COVID-19, visit the Public Health Sudbury & Districts website at www.phsd.ca/coronavirus.